Hello Fellow Fodors! Flying in from Chicago to Paris in mid September and landing in CDG. We are staying in the 6arr at Hôtel Chaplain Paris Rive Gauche. From there, we are flying out to Venice, Italy. I know CDG airport is 56 min from the hotel and ORY is 29 min from the hotel. I have a couple questions.

- Is taking a taxi our best option from CDG (flight in from Chicago) to Hotel our best option? If so, how much should I expect to pay (my wife and I)?
- Flying to Venice, Is it better to fly out of CDG or ORY? Each airport has an early flight via EasyJet. (ORY - 7:15am and CDG - 9am) and as mentioned earlier, ORY is about half hour closer from our hotel.
- Are there better options than EasyJet? I know there are "hold baggage" fees.
- Transfer from Venice airport to San Marcos, is taking a taxi to our hotel in San Marcos our best option? If so, how much am I expected to pay?

Appreciate all your help!

Considering only the flight from Paris to Venice, I'd be inclined to take a later one for the simple reason that I dislike not knowing I'll have access to my room or apartment on arrival. Yes, it may be ready and you may already know, and you can often leave your luggage and go out for a while until your room is available. However taking a later flight means you don't have to get up in the dark for that wretched early flight, have a leisurely coffee & croissant, and you can go straight to your room on arrival. That to me is the biggest issue of those you ask about.

Oh, now I remember, you didn't ask that, did you. But I think still the biggest issue, in my opinion/experience.

I'm frugal, so I always take the RER train from CDG into Paris. That's something close to 20 Euros for two people, though. I'm not sure what a taxi from the airport costs. But, I would still find out what the route from CDG to your hotel is via public transit. Use Google Maps and show public transportation options (and adjust the time to get an accurate route). Maybe there's an easy route with a RER stop to a bus or something. Then you'd have that same option to take it the other way at the end, if you choose to fly out of CDG.

There are also express buses into Paris. I've not used them.

I'd do the math and take the flight that lets me sleep later when figuring out whether to fly out of ORY or CDG. Even though it takes less time to get to ORY, it leaves earlier, so you probably must depart your hotel earlier to fly to ORY, right?

Correct on your last question Andrew. I should add that we are in Venice for only 2 nights before we head to Florence. Yes, we would love to sleep more, but also want to take advantage of Venice as much as possible. I've been told we can see what we need to see in Venice in 2 days.

Also, are security lines long in Paris to get to your flight. One important question I forgot to ask is:

Let's say my flight is at 9am out of CDG or ORY, what time should I be at the airport? I want to make sure that we are at the airport in time to catch our flight.

Taxi to Paris hotel is best option - flat rate fees apply from both airports, no luggage fees apply.
CDG - for Rive Gauche, 55 EU // for Rive Droite, 50 EU
ORY - " " , 30 EU // " " , 35 EU

Are you under time restrictions to get to Venice? If not, choose the most convenient flight that suits your luggage.

I would ask on the Venice forum for up-to-date transportation options from Marco Polo airport to Piazza San Marco.

Contact the airline you decide to use for the regulations regarding when you need to be in line at the airport.

Two nights in Venice is very little, actually, but at least you shouldn't arrive late the first day from Paris. If you think it's worth getting there almost two hours earlier, then maybe it is worth taking the earlier flight from ORY. If that's your biggest constraint, then I would just make the ORY flight work, get up a little earlier, and forget about the CDG flight.

Fuzzbucket, no time restrictions to get to Venice. We can drop off our luggage at the hotel.

Just an FYI...we're also staying 2 nights in Florence, 3 nights in Positano and 4 nights in Rome. We had 3 nights in Florence but took one away for an extra night in Paris (4 nights in Paris).

Take a look at your Paris hotel's website. It mentions you can take the RER B directly to/from Orly or CDG from the Port-Royal metro station which appears to be walking distance from your hotel.

I would also contact your hotel in Venice to see what the best options are for transportation to and from the airport.

Why not avoid flights and flying altogether?

Have lunch at the amazing Train Bleu restaurant inside the Gare de Lyon in central Paris, www.le-train-bleu.com

After lunch, stroll across the concourse to the waiting 14:41 TGV high-speed train through the Alps to Turin arriving 20:15, from €29 in 2nd class or €46 in 1st class, www.captaintrain.com with print=at-home tickets.

Great views through the Alps, a chill-out trip, power sockets at all seats, cafe-bar on board.

Stay overnight in Turin, a wonderful city. Ideally, build in time for a look around next morning. The Palace Hotel gets great reviews - a short taxi ride from Turin Porta Susa station where the TGV arrives, it's opposite Porta Nuova station where trains to Venice depart, through these also call at Porta Susa.

Then book a fast Frecciabianca train from Turin to Venice in 4h21 from €19 at www.trenitalia.com - or from €29 in 1st class.

Nothing beats rumbling over the causeway from the mainland into central Venice, then walking out of Santa Lucia station to see gondolas and vaporettos on the Grand Canal right in front of you.

Man_in_seat_61, you have an amazing website full of helpful train information, a site I have referred to more than once. I admire your devotion to train travel. But, the train just isn't a great option everyone in every case. If you read the OP's posts, he has only two nights in Venice as it is, to the point where he might take the earlier flight just to get there two hours earlier. Obviously, the train with an overnight cuts the time in half...

Why not avoid flights and flying altogether? Because there is no time for trains in this itinerary.

@ Armando, If there are two of you traveling, taking a taxi to Orly makes sense. There is a fixed rate of 30 euros from the Left Bank. You should probably reserve the taxi the night before and that will cost an additional 7 euros. Arrive 90 minutes before departure time. I'd take the flight from Orly to have the additional 2 hours in Venice.

Yes, a question of math.

7 am means arriving at 5 30 to be safe, meaning leaving hotel a 5 h meaning waking up at 4 45 latest (gotta be quick and pay the day before).

9 am at CDG means you can take a taxi or a RER - about same time, and RER B is direct to CDG. Meaning waking up at 6 30. Still early but not an ungodly hour.

So, if it was me : 9 am. Now with jetlgag... it can impact time of wake up.

Forgot travel time to CDG -> one hour, wake up at 5 45 am.

I'm with What and Mme P here - you'll have to get up at the crack of dawn to get the Orly flight and when you get to venice, chances are you won't be able to check in.

but if you are happy to get up before 5am, then go for it.

<<Are there better options than EasyJet? I know there are "hold baggage" fees.>>

Most european airlines have fees for putting hold in the luggage; Easyjet has a 20kg weight limit for hold luggage and a size limit for luggage in the cabin, so you need to make sure that your luggage will comply with those limits. Apart from that they are little different to a "normal" flight. If you wish you can pay for something like Easy Boarding which in theory makes life easier, giving you an inclusive luggage allowance, a reserved seat you pick yourself, and being first in the queue to board, but IMO that's just a way of making more money out of you.

<<Transfer from Venice airport to San Marcos, is taking a taxi to our hotel in San Marcos our best option? If so, how much am I expected to pay?>>

A water-taxi from the airport to San Marco will cost you about €100, give or take. If the hotel you have reserved has a water gate, they will probably be able to take you all the way there; if it doesn't the taxi will get you as close as possible and you'll have to walk from there.

There are a number of other alternatives - the Alilaguna is a water-bus that will take you from the airport to a number of places around Venice including San Marco - your hotel will be able to tell you the nearest stop to them and which colour Alilaguna you need. Or there are a couple of buses - the ATVO bus will take you directly from the airport to the Piazzale Roma; it has luggage space under the bus and takes about 20 mins; there are three an hour in each direction. There is also the local ACTV bus that stops on the way; it takes a bit longer and you may end up with your luggage on your lap.

Either way, you need then to get a vaporetto from the Piazzale Roma to your hotel - again they will know the nearest vaporetto stop and how to walk from there.

<<Yes, we would love to sleep more, but also want to take advantage of Venice as much as possible. I've been told we can see what we need to see in Venice in 2 days.>>

Yes, I've been told that too. so far I've spent 2 whole weeks and several other shorter periods there and I've not seen all of it yet, or even half of what it has to offer. You will be able to see some of the main sights, and even go inside a few of them - you should have time to visit the Basilica of San Marco, ride a vaporetto down the Grand Canal, have a look at the Rialto Market [another early morning required] - and one of two other sights, depending on what your interests are. Your best bet is to get a vaporetto pass to cover the time you'll be there and use them to get around as that way you'll be able to see more in the limited time you've got.

Also you could extend your time in Venice a bit by getting a later train to Florence - get a lunchtime train and you can spend the morning in Venice, have lunch on the train, and be in Florence in time to check straight into your hotel and be rested enough to spend the afternoon sightseeing there.

Whenever I've arrived too early to check in, I've been able to leave my bags at the hotel or B&B until later, so I certainly wouldn't let that be a deterrent to arriving early in Venice.

"Whenever I've arrived too early to check in, I've been able to leave my bags..."

Of course, this is true, but not the point I was making, that of not having a home until the room is ready. Especially after an interrupted night's sleep and travel, I like to have a shower and a toilet before I hit the streets. Dropping bags and straight back out isn't anywhere near as good.

Chances are good that the OP will have already showered, shaved and done whatever else necessary in the morning, before getting to the airport for what will be a 90 minute flight to Venice. Probably won't need a shower until later on.